* Hearing the dawn chorus outside my window on a spring morning makes my heart sing. It's as if the birds are in my heart, at one with me - at one with all things.

* To see a child laughing, playing joyously reminds me of the eternal youth within us all.

* To stretch and move my body and I feel deep gratitude for 'experience of being human', 'freedom' and 'aliveness'.

* Seeing the joy in others around me. It's infectious - as if it is my own joy!

* To witness the strength of a tiny seed break through the soil, defeating all odds of vulnerability and become a plant. Wow!

Today I appreciated the gift of scent and aroma. I felt intoxicated by the scent left on my hands after planting a rosemary bush for a dear friend. My soul was certainly stirred and my heart lifted.

How joyous life is when we take time to smell the roses (so to speak)...

Today I was woken by the birds at dawn. They joined me in my meditation. Then our magnificent sun came up to reveal the dewdrops sparkling on my lawn. All was quiet as it was bank holiday and the world was still sleeping.

As the light grew brighter, I saw my primroses flowering in the garden. They always bring me the joy of new beginnings, a new season, with buds opening on the trees to reveal tiny, perfect lime green leaves.

And then my dog joined me, turning upside down and rolling on the grass with the sheer joy of being alive.

That was some start to my day!

Sharing a meal with a relative I don't see very often

Then a walk together in the sunshine and invigorating wind.

Smelling the sea air and seeing the wind and water dancing together as waves

Seeing so many families out for walks: small excited voices and mittens!

Feeling in love with being alive, and finding a string of shiny pink hearts on the pavement!

Yesterday I'd been guided to St Michael's Mount on the tip of Cornwall. I was stood on a rock between the shore and the mount watching the sea and doing some Openhand movements, working hard to steady myself in the blustery coastal wind.

Then a wheeled boat came out of the sea, drove up onto the sand, collected some people from the shore and drove back out to sea to the nearby Island. It struck me as a fascinating Ascension metaphor especially as it was "Ascension Day".

As the boat went by me, I was able to see its name. And what was it? St Michael of course! St Michael was ferrying people across the rolling breakers.

What also occurred to me was that I was stood on the 'bridge' between the 'two worlds'. Of course that is the whole purpose of Openhand. To Bridge one world and another.

It would be easy to pass such significance off as 'coincidence' as so many do. In following the divine and reading the metaphor woven into the fabric of life in this way, I find I never cease to be amazed. My life is constantly filled with such joy. As is so often the case, there was a welling up from within, which brought tears to my eyes. Magic!

Chris

Today I saw an unborn baby's heart beating on a screen, not mine but that of someone I love, and the wonder of life however it manifests came flooding into my awareness like a wave of deeper and yet deeper understanding of who we are and who we are beyond that, here is a new soul, a new love, a new life growing and blossoming, ready to bring hope and joy, tears and learning to whoever it touches. What a gift that is in so many forms, what joy we all represent on so many levels, because within us all is that unborn baby's heartbeat and we only have to listen to our own to connect with it.

And so my heart is singing full throttle, so very full of love and joy for the mother-to-be and her baby. My soul is stirring at the wonder of the universe and how it sends us what we need to enrich our lives and give us opportunities to grow. And I am joyous and thankful in the gift this brings to my life.

Dancing barefoot on the white sands of Iona as the sun is rising in the sky, the sun reflected and lighting up the water. The rugged rocks emerging from the sea and majestic mountains in the distance. Waves splashing against the shore, white foam being born. Feeling the cold wind against my face. Filled with delight as the gulls fly, swoop and call out to welcome the new day and I sing from a full heart in response - heaven on earth

The delightful radiance of your soul stirs my soul Fiona! I feel the sand dancing with me feet just reading that.
x

I have been planting many seeds this past couple of weeks - peas, salad greens, kale, herbs, beetroot, radish, chard cauliflower, kohlrabi, tomato, nasturtiums, mizuna with more varieties waiting for April. I'm totally in my element with such eager excitement at the possibilities of these tiny seeds and what they may become.

The last few months of garden trimmings and vegetable waste have now turned into a richly nutritious compost ready to fertilize this years bed of peas and beans. For some this may sound odd. I mean to be so enthusiastic about 'dirt'. But to me this is what sustains people. This is the cycle of life, honouring of the seasons, honouring and respecting ourselves. To me this is the miracle of nature. The miracle of being human. I have the elation of the happiest child when I see how nature is working with me and I with her to provide such sustenence.

It seems that everything here is busting forth into life! New green shoots on all the fruit trees and bushes. New growth everywhere.

This stirs my soul.

Trinity
x

Nature, being in the woods and just listening, Mountains! a river running. Peace and quiet.